gingerfold:
It would be a great pity if ERF ceased to partake in this forum and this particular discussion about what was a significant engine development in British commercial vehicle industry. He has so far shared priceless information about his hands on rebuilding of an AEC V8 engine to meticulous and unprecedented standards. As a former lorry restorer I personally am fully aware of the trials, tribulations, frustrations, and costs in both time and money that this “hobby” entails. I shudder to think what ERF’s final bill will be for his V8 project. I know what I spent in restoring a Seddon and two AECs at a time when spares were far more plentiful than they are now, and mine were far more run-of-the mill drive lines compared with what ERF is doing.I do find the derogatory comments about individuals involved at AEC and Leyland at the time very distasteful. These were men at the pinnacle of their chosen careers working for what, at the time, was a world class organisation. The criticism of them personally is unwarranted and unjustified. By all means criticise the product, but not the people. Did they set out to deliberately design a suspect engine? No. Several years ago I corresponded with Robert Fryars and I met him once at an AEC Rally. He is a true gentleman and he is revered by his AEC colleagues. As I mentioned a few posts back, the AEC personnel I have met were never complacent about their products and they aimed for continuous improvement. Perfection was their aim and we all know how difficult that is to achieve. As for the V8 engine, even 35 years after its demise the AEC men I met had great frustration that they weren’t given the time, or funding, to get it right. Robert Fryars has submitted several papers about his working life to the University of Warwick Motor Industry Archive, and some of the attention to detail he describes in AEC engine design does make one wonder why they got the V8 wrong to the extent they did.
Like most contributors on this TN forum, and particularly on a thread such as this, I want to discuss matters in a reasonable manner, learning from, and sharing information with other posters. As for Carryfast I do not want to see him banned from posting because the provocation he contributes stimulates me to counter his arguments and prove him wrong. Every pantomime must have a villain, let Carryfast be the TN pantomime villain. (No offence meant CF)
Credit,that sums it up.